June Greetings:

We are now into the summer season and most of you have put the old sled in a back corner. The ATV's, boats, golf clubs, and motorcycles have been dusted off and are being used. Seasonal workers are back on the job with construction (both building and road) in full swing.

For you ATV riders, if you are going to mount some aggressive or larger tires, you should consider a clutch kit from FBP. These Dalton kits work great for all around trail conditions and take the wear off your engine and clutch. If you only need a clutch rebuild, a clutch kit can still be a good investment. Wakes up the beast and allows the clutch to transfer full power.

Polaris has made the news with their announcement of closing the Wisconsin plant and opening a plant in Mexico. They plan to have the new Mexican plant going by early 2011, so it looks like some more "made in America" will be made elsewhere and jobs will be lost. I think this may hurt sales but time will tell. They are going to save money but I would bet we won't see it on the retail side.

Took a Memorial weekend overnight motorcycle trip. Visited a few relatives and saw a bit of the backroads, 500 miles of sightseeing. I have some home projects that should be done and better quit putting them off. I will make it through the work projects by thinking about next winter as I still enjoy the thrill of busting snow more than just about anything else.

Enjoy the sunshine and relax in evening with a cool beverage.

Now to a few questions.

Doc

PS: Map Quest should re-write their program and start directions on step #5. I think we all know how to get out of our neighborhood.

Q: I was going to replace my spark plugs and a buddy was telling me to buy a set of index washers. These would give me more power and make my engine run better. Should I look for some of these?

A: Spark plug index washers usually come packaged with various thickness washers and are placed under the plug. Using the proper washer will allow the open end of the electrode to face the intake side of the cylinder when the plug is tightened into the head. In the real world, this makes no difference except on the new Etec models as they are directing fuel directly into the combustion chamber. When the plug fires, it doesn't fire in one direction and will ignite the mixture regardless which way the plug is facing. Better off to concentrate on your clutching or suspension and find improvement in areas that do make a difference.

Q: Our local "expert" told me to buy some high octane fuel at the local airport and add to my gas to give me an extra boost in power. Should I add some and how much will be needed?

A: There is nothing to be gained by adding high octane fuel unless you do something else to take advantage of the extra octane. Raising compression is the best way but advancing the timing and leaning out the mixture will also give you a gain. On a stock engine designed for 87 octane, there is no gain and will actually lose some power with higher octanes unless you can do some combination of mods that need the higher octane.

Q: I was going to have my shocks serviced but didn't get to it this winter. Should I do it now or wait until next fall?

A: Shocks build heat and take in moisture during their use. It would be best to service them this spring and get the old out so contaminents are not sitting in them all summer long. Fresh oil now and you will be one step ahead of your buddies when the flakes start to fall next year.

Q: I plan on sending my shocks into FBP for a Ride Tech Package but had a question on the form they want filled out and sent in with the shocks. They ask what type of rider I am. I feel I am an agressive trail rider but I don't want to get too stiff. I like to ride groomed trails and look for a smooth ride in the small washboards and want to take the big bumps without bottoming too much. I am not going to ride in 2 foot whoops at 60 mph though. Any thoughts on this?

A: I have asked the Fett boys about this before and they agree this is a problem for many. What is aggressive to one person is not aggressive to the next. Also someone who rides groomed trails on normal trail rides best fits the category of a high performance rider. Just being aggressive on the throttle has nothing to do with suspension tuning, they are looking at your style in the rough sections. Also they compare aggressive and hardcore to race type conditions and speeds so most riders will not fit into these categories. Remember, they don't care how you ride, they just want to give you the best ride possible with your existing suspension. You can't always have everything but they can find the best and widest range to fit your riding style.

Q: ATV season is here and I am going to put more aggressive tires on my ATV. My neighbor said I will need to get a clutch kit, is this true?

A: Your neighbor is most likely correct. Larger or more aggressive tires take more power to turn and your stock clutching is designed for stock tires in general trail riding conditions. Check out the clutch kits from FBP as they are designed just for this problem. Good kits that bolt in easily and are trail tested.

Q: I have a Yamaha RX1 and I installed an FBP clutch kit. It performs great at the correct rpm but my belt is still down on the primary clutch about 3/8". I tried to subtract some weight but the only change was an increase in rpm and the belt rode even lower. Do I have to add more weight?

A: If your rpm's are correct, you can try to add more but most likely the rpm will decrease, which is not a good thing. Your main problem is that the Yamaha's are usually made so that the belt cannot go to the top. To check this; remove clutch and then primary spring. Push sheaves together and then place belt into clutch and check how high it rides. You may find the sheaves are manufactured to not allow full belt shiftout. If belt will go to top, then the next logical step is to gear the sled down. If geared to high, it will never fully shift out.

Q: I was going to replace my drive belt and was told that I should try a different brand for more performance. Would this help?

A: Belt compounds vary from year to year and model to model as the OEM's try to balance belt life, heat, performance, type of rider, and cost. Sometimes you will see a gain when a different compound is used that better matches your riding demands better than the generic stock belt. There is really no listing of what belts are made of so it comes down to testing and seeing what your buddies are using. If they find something that works and you ride in similar conditions, it will work for you. Basically a soft belt works great for lower power sleds and grabs the sheaves for maximum belt grip. A harder belt is being used on the more powerful sleds to fight the heat and high loads that big power puts on them. Proper alignment, belt deflection, and well maintained clutches will give you the best gain.

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